


and i'd love it if we made it

by moonstuns



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Love Island: The Game Season 2, Slow Burn, player!Bobby, player!mc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonstuns/pseuds/moonstuns
Summary: Maria isn’t here to fall in love. She’s here because she has bills to pay, things to buy, and fifty thousand pounds are up for grabs. What happens when she’s thrown into the chaos of the villa — and what happens if she’s met her match in more ways than one?[or: how to build a fake relationship on a reality tv show, a 46 million step guide by maria and bobby]
Relationships: Bobby McKenzie/Main Character (Love Island), Bobby McKenzie/Original Character(s)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 35





	1. Truth or Dare

Coming on Love Island, Maria realizes as she climbs out of a car and strikes a pose she definitely never would on the outside, is probably one of the worse decisions she’s made so far in her life. The production assistant (Emma? Emily? She needs to get better at names) beams at her, checking something off with a flourish. “That was sexy,” she says with a wink. “Keep it up and the camera will love you.”

Maria’s laugh sounds foreign to herself — she’s never been fantastic at improv, which is probably something she should’ve considered before signing up for the biggest reality TV show in the country. “All right,” continues Emma-Emily, “we’ll get James over here to mic you before you meet the first other girl and then hopefully we’ll be out of your way for a little.”

“Um,” says Maria, but someone’s already attaching a mic pack to her. She moves her hair out of the way.

“You’re a doll. Now watch that car and greet the other villagers, okay? Bring up how you’re feeling about the villa and make sure to show off your personality, yeah?”

“Yeah, sure.” Maria blinks as the SUV in front of her slows to a stop. A girl hops out and almost falls, and after some laughter and what seems to be light arguing with her PA, she climbs back in and redoes her entrance before walking over.

“Oh, wow, hi!” she exclaims, feigning surprise. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Hope!” She leans in and hugs Maria, kissing both her cheeks before pulling back. Hope is probably one of the most stunning women Maria’s ever seen, but she suspects she’ll be thinking that a lot more throughout her stay at the Villa.

Maria smiles warmly. “I’m Maria. It’s so lovely to meet you too!” She winces — everything sounds so artificial right now. She really should be better.

“What a beautiful name,” Hope gushes. “How are you feeling about the Villa? I can’t believe we’re finally here.”

“I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest,” says Maria, feeling a little more at ease. Hope gently bumps her hip with her own.

“Don’t worry, hun. Stick with me and you’ll be fine.” She laughs. “Or maybe not! Did you see me almost trip jumping out of the car? I could’ve started my summer of love flat on my face.”

_ Play up your personality or you’ll get voted off, play up your personality or you’ll get voted off… _

Maria winks. “Well, I’m hoping to end up flat on my back, if you know what I mean.” Hope giggles.

“Cheeky!” She winks back. “Face down in some nice soft pillows would work too, to be honest.” Hope glances past Maria at the producer. “I think we’re meant to be going inside now.” She rolls her eyes. “I hope they get off our arse sometime soon; I can’t stand feeling like this is all a show.”

_ It’s literally all a show, _ Maria thinks, but she bites her tongue — best not to anger other girls this early. “It’s so awkward with all the assistants all there, yeah?” They both start walking in. “I can deal with the cameras, but this is…”

“So much,” Hope finishes with a knowing look. “Anyway. Let’s get back to the script.” They giggle as they enter the bedroom. “Oh my god, this is  _ huge _ .” She flops down on one of the beds. “And comfy! Come on, sit down with me.”

Maria lies down beside her, sighing in pleasure upon contact. “It really is comfy,” she agrees happily. “Can’t wait to figure out which hot guy I’ll be sharing one of these with.”

Hope throws her head back as she laughs. “Don’t I know it. I’m trying to be a little tame here, but if there’s a strong and silent type out there, I don’t know that I’d be able to resist…” Maria silently sighs in relief — strong and silent isn’t her type at all, so at least she won’t have a rival there.

Another girl walks in just as Hope and Maria sit up — she looks like a big personality, with dyed blonde-pink hair and dramatic eye makeup and tattoos snaking all over her body. She smiles at them. “Hey girls. I’m Lottie.”

“Australian,” Maria blurts, and then she smacks her face as Lottie and Hope both snicker. “I mean — I’m Maria; it’s so lovely to meet you.”

“And I’m Hope,” Hope chirps. “I’m assuming you’re Australian?”

“Born and raised,” Lottie says, leaning over to air kiss them both. She glances at Maria. “I love your fashion sense.” Before Maria can reply, she continues, “And your makeup is absolutely gorgeous, Hope.”

“Oh, thank you! I love yours too!” says Hope, tucking a braid behind her ear. “I work in sales, so I can’t afford to be as adventurous with my look as I’d like.”

Lottie grins. “I’m a makeup artist, so it comes with the territory.” They both look over at Maria. “What about you, babes? What do you do?”

“I’m an actress, actually,” she says, smiling. Why does she feel so overshadowed here? She knows she’s loud. “Fresh out of drama school.”

“Hopefully that doesn’t mean you’ll cause any drama for us, then.” Lottie laughs but she looks guarded. Hope and Maria exchange a look. Before either of them can reply, another girl walks in, with strawberry blonde hair plaited neatly resting on her shoulder and freckles smattering her cheeks. All Maria can think is  _ adorable. _

“Hi, girls!” Her voice wobbles. Maria feels an odd sort of cross between sympathy and kinship for this poor girl. “I’m Hannah.”

“Hi!” Hope beams at her. “I’m Hope, this is Maria, and that’s Lottie.” Hannah waves at all three of them before sitting gingerly near Lottie. “So, girls, time for the big question — why are you all single?”

“Oh, I just,” Maria pauses, wondering if she should divulge all the dirty details about her mess of a love life quite yet, “got out of a bad relationship, like, nine months ago, and I figured how better to get into the dating scene than to come on here?”

“Men are such pigs,” Lottie groans, offering Maria a conciliatory pat on the back. “I’m the same way. I don’t know how we manage to attract trash, especially when you’re as stunning as you are.”

“Books always made it seem like Prince Charming was right around the corner,” Hannah sighs wistfully. “It seems mine never got the message.”

“Maybe you’ll find yours this summer,” says Maria, encouraging. Hannah beams at her.

“I feel like we’ll be, like, this awesome group of girls who always put each other first,” Lottie says. Maria raises her eyebrows but decides not to choose violence today. Instead, she smiles.

“I hope, but I’m still here to find love at the end of the day.” Lottie falters for a moment before smiling.

“Of course, babes. That’s the name of the game, after all.”

Another girl walks in — shorter than Maria, thank god, and smartly dressed with wire-framed glasses. “I’m Marisol,” she says. “I think I’m the last one.”

“Oh, hey,” says Maria. “I’m Maria.” Marisol grins at her.

“Spanish?”

“Half Puerto Rican, half Italian,” Maria corrects.

“Explains the tan.”

“Thanks, I think?” Maria asks, and Marisol laughs.

“It’s a compliment, babe; I love your skin.” Maria eases back into her seat.

“Thanks, I know, then,” she says. “That’s Lottie, that’s Hannah, and this is Hope.” Marisol takes a seat on Maria’s other side.

“So,” she says, crossing her legs, “what are your guys’ types?”

Hope starts off by emphasizing strong and silent (again), Hannah says anyone who treats her right (this poor, poor girl, Maria thinks, shutting her eyes), Lottie dodges the question and says it’s hard to tell, personality wise, but she loves fit guys, and Maria just shrugs.

“Usually someone with a bit of humor,” she says. “I need a man that’ll prioritize me, as well.” Marisol gives her a sympathetic glance.

“Don’t I know. It’s so annoying being second fiddle to the man who’s supposed to put you first.”

Suddenly, a phone dings. Maria glances down at the text. “It says to line up out front.” She grins. “Boys are choosing.”

“Oh, I hope I’m not last,” Hannah frets as they walk back down.

Once they’re all lined up, a boy walks out and smiles at them. He’s well built, with dark skin and short hair and pretty eyes to boot, but when he introduces himself, he seems quiet. “I’m Noah,” he murmurs, like they haven’t just been told exactly three juicy tidbits about him. “It’s so nice to meet all of you.” Maria nudges Hope, mouthing  _ strong and silent _ . Hope grins back at her.

Laura, the host, clears her throat. “All right, ladies, step forward if you fancy Noah.”

Hope immediately bounds forward, and everyone else keeps back. “Hope, why did you step forward?”

“You’re gorgeous,” she begins, and Noah blushes —  _ cute _ , “and your personality seems exactly like my cup of tea. Seriously, babe, I’m, like, melting under your gaze.” Lottie rolls her eyes.

“I guess I, um,” Noah’s blushing fiercely now, “choose Hope!” The girls whoop as he walks over to stand near her, kissing her politely on the cheek.

“Next out is our resident pro athlete and member of  _ Hot Men of Golf 2019 Calendar,  _ Ibrahim!” The next boy smiles. He’s absolutely stunning, Maria thinks, all smoldering gaze and beautiful skin and abs and biceps.

“Hello, ladies,” he says, and his voice is deep and incredibly sexy, wow, “you’re all like winning four golf tournaments in a year.”

They blink at him.

“Because you’re, um,” Ibrahim tries, “a grand slam?”

_ Maybe not, _ Maria thinks, but she smiles politely at him anyway. He grins back — his teeth are blindingly white.  _ Then again, awkward boys can be cute.. _

“Ladies, please step forward if you fancy Ibrahim.”

_ Ah, what the hell. _ Maria steps forward, as does Marisol. Ibrahim looks flustered as he glances between them.

“I’ll have to go with Maria,” he says, walking to her and kissing her on the cheek. All the girls clap politely. Maria pointedly doesn’t think about how Hope got a bigger reaction.

The next boy to walk out is both Maria’s historic type and someone she should avoid, with loose brown curls and gorgeous eyes and pick up lines that make her cringe a little. “Ladies,” says Laura, “please step forward if you fancy Rocco.”

Maria throws Ibrahim an apologetic look and steps forward alongside Lottie, who sniffs violently. Rocco beams at her. “I choose Maria,” he says. “One hundred percent my type on paper.”

“Only a hundred?” she asks, and Rocco laughs as he moves to stand beside her. Ibrahim shuffles along to the bench.

Next is a crane operator named Gary, who looks a bit blokey for Maria but apparently suits Hannah perfectly (or well enough for her to realize she has to step forward for someone). When Hannah says  _ you’re like my knight in shining armor _ , Maria and Marisol lock eyes and grimace.

“And last but not least,” announces Laura, “a hospital caterer and aspiring pastry chef from Glasgow, Bobby!”

Bobby steps out into the sun and Maria needs a minute to catch her breath — he’s beautiful, freckled and bronze and smiling right at her like he knows he can take her heart any time he wants. “I’d like to say I’m a pastry entrepreneur,” he corrects lightly. “Best for last, right, ladies? I’m like the sweet dessert at the end of a main course of beefcake.”

Maria snorts and his smile widens. Rocco tightens his grip on her almost imperceptibly.

“Please step forward if you fancy Bobby.”

Maria looks away — she can’t step forward three times out of five; she’s not going to come off as some sort of slag on telly and get kicked out on day three or something, but Bobby’s definitely going to be a fan favorite and now she’s losing out on him because of her old habits.  _ Christ, _ she thinks,  _ I’m supposed to be on vacation. _

“I guess I’ll go with this lovely lass, then,” he says, beaming as he walks over and kisses her on the cheek. She raises her eyebrows.

“You guess?” she asks — maybe in jest. Maria thinks Lottie’s going to be difficult to read.

“Should I have said you’re the love of my life already?” Bobby asks, lips turned upward. God, maybe Maria should’ve come off like a slag for him. Rocco nudges her and she turns to him.

“I’m excited to get to know you,” he says, winking at her. “Like I said, you’re exactly my type.”

Maria exhales. Now that she’s with him she’ll give it a go — she’s never been one to back out, not unless it turned truly ugly. “I’m excited to get to know you, too. Shall we grab some champagne?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

The next hour is a little dull — she helps the boys carry over the champagne, Lottie says something about her priorities not being where they should be, Rocco says love should be about the vibe and Maria is starting to think she made a mistake stepping away from Ibrahim.

Things begin to pick up when they play Truth or Dare. Hope picks up a card and Lottie rolls her eyes. “Always has to be the first one out, doesn’t she?”

Maria shrugs. “Someone had to do it.” Lottie’s mouth twists into a grimace.

“I guess.”

Hope’s dare is to massage Noah’s feet. “Come on, big man,” Bobby cheers. “Get those piggies out!” He glances at Maria, looking self-satisfied when she giggles.

_ Interesting, _ she thinks. Hope rubs Noah’s feet with a little too much enthusiasm and laughs when Maria whoops.  _ We want you to be a party girl, _ the producers had said, and she’s going to play the hell out of that role if it keeps her on.

“Okay, let’s keep the energy going.” Hope spins around and points at Maria. “You next, babes. Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Maria says. Hope picks up the card and beams.

“Send a selfie to the most attractive islander,” she announces. Maria weighs her options — she can play it safe and choose Rocco or one of the girls (though the producers and probably audience know she swings that way, even if the islanders don’t quite yet) or she can make a move on Bobby, which would open up a semi-day one romance if she plays her cards right and make her an intense shit-stirrer if she plays them wrong. 

“Well,” she decides with her brightest smile, “if I have to be completely honest…” Rocco tenses as Marisol’s phone dings. 

“I’m flattered,” Marisol says, flushing. Maria grins at her.

“Okay, I choose Rocco,” she says. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Rocco says. His jaw is clenched. Maria raises an eyebrow at him, picking out a card.

“Kiss the islander you fancy the most.” Rocco stands up stiffly before walking toward Lottie and pulling her into a kiss —  _ not even a kiss, _ Maria thinks, more bemused than anything,  _ a proper snog. _

“If you fancied her so much,” she murmurs innocently as he sits back down, “why didn’t you choose her? She stepped forward.”

Rocco turns red. “I — um — ”

“It’s cute that you get jealous.”  _ Lie. _ “But I only chose Marisol for a laugh, babe. I’m not gonna pursue anything.”  _ Truth, maybe. _

“Okay, well,” Rocco exhales, resting an arm around her comfortably, “that’s reassuring to know. Thank you.” Maria pecks his cheek.

The rest of the game is uneventful — most people stick within their couples for anything romantic, though Ibrahim gives an awkward lap dance to Hope, who shrieks and covers her eyes through a laugh. Marisol reveals that she’s bisexual, which makes the selfie situation a little more awkward (though Maria can’t believe this is even a situation — they’ve been coupled up two hours!).

Afterward, Rocco leaves to make a smoothie or maybe a refreshing mocktail of some sort. Bobby beckons Maria to the daybed. “Hey,” he says.

“Hi,” Maria replies. Bobby grins, dimpling.

“Listen,” he says, flopping down and resting on his hands, “I was picking up on some tension during Truth or Dare today and I just — wanted to make sure it wasn’t all on my end or something.”

“Good tension or weird tension?” Bobby raises his eyebrows.

“Things can be good and weird, can’t they? Like… blobfish.”

“Blobfish aren't weird,” Maria says defensively. “They’re beautiful. Uniquely.”

“So weird,” Bobby repeats, laughing when Maria smiles despite herself. “Seriously, though, like. Where’s your head at?”

“I think,” Maria says delicately, “there was definitely tension. And I’m attracted to you, obviously.”

“It could be a little more obvious.” He grins. “You could tell me a couple more times.”

“Easy,” Maria warns, and Bobby laughs again. “But I’m with Rocco and you’re with Lottie, so we should be fair to them, yeah?” She pauses. “I am open to seeing where things go, though.”

“Good.” Bobby stretches out on the bed so that their hands almost touch. Before Maria can do anything, Marisol’s voice rings out from the kitchen.

“I got a text!” she calls. Bobby and Maria glance at each other as they walk toward her. When they reach the kitchen, Rocco pulls her toward him, glaring at Bobby. “Islanders,” Marisol reads out, “tonight there will be a welcome party. Please get ready to say hi to a very special guest! #drinksonus, #droppingthebombshell!”

_ Oh, fucking hell. _


	2. Blessings in Disguise

“A new girl?” Hannah asks, eyes darting nervously between Gary and the floor. “Then one of us will be single, won’t we?”

“It could be a new guy,” Ibrahim points out, and Noah gives Hope a sidelong glance.

“Either way,” Hope decides, “we have to get ready for a party. Let’s go, girls.”

The dressing room is strewn with discarded clothes and makeup products as the islanders hurry to make themselves presentable. Maria focuses on herself, ignoring the frantic chat around her in favor of making her cheekbones pop. When she tunes back in, Hope’s saying, “If it’s a new girl, we should make her feel welcome. She’s in the same position as any of us; we can be mature.”

“Yeah, we’ll see if you’re still saying that once she takes Noah,” says Lottie, sullen. Hope shoots her a glare.

“Let’s not be petty,” Maria announces. The girls all look at her. “Someone’s going to switch partners at some point and someone’s going to go home -- it might be her and it might not, but we shouldn’t judge her just because the producers made her come in later.”

“Whatever,” Lottie snaps, furiously blending out her contour. Maria rolls her eyes and does her lipstick.

“I’m just saying, babes. It’s a game; whoever comes in will be playing it the same as us.”

“Should I go with the beige or the white?” Marisol asks, holding up two nearly identical dresses. 

“The white,” Hannah says. It’s the first time she’s spoken since they entered the dressing room. She smiles weakly. “It’s pretty.”

“Yeah,” Lottie echoes. “It’ll suit your skin better.”

“Anyway,” says Hope, “it could be a guy, you know. Han, maybe your dream man will walk through the door!” Hannah giggles as Hope describes a litany of characteristics her dream boyfriend could have, and Maria focuses on what outfit to pick.

She ends up walking down in a shimmering red jumpsuit, her hair tumbling down her shoulders in loose curls. “You look gorgeous, hun,” Hope says, bumping her hip gently with her own. “Seriously, they’re not even gonna look at the new girl.”

“I’m not bothered,” Maria lies. “Like you said, could be a guy.” Hope sighs.

“If it was,” she asks, “would you go for him over Rocco? I didn’t want to ask in front of Lottie, but you didn’t seem to be… you know, hitting it off.”

“He’s gorgeous,” Maria begins, careful, “but I’m not sure our personalities mesh as well as I’d like. I think he’ll probably grow on me, though.”

“Oh? I was thinking Bobby might instead.” Maria laughs, scratching the back of her neck.

“I don’t know if that’s worth whatever Lottie’s going to do if we couple up. She already doesn’t like me.” Hope purses her lips. Before she can reply, Maria continues, “Let’s hurry up; the boys are probably bored out of their minds waiting for us.”

“Here they are!” says Gary, clapping Maria roughly on the back. “Some of these guys were getting impatient.”

After a long stretch of conversation, she finds herself a little more comfortable with everyone. Still, she’s analyzing their personalities: Bobby’s definitely going to be a fan favorite, Ibrahim might get his screentime ruined by editors if he doesn’t pull out something interesting soon, and if she doesn’t watch Rocco closely she’ll get played like a fool.  _ Though that would set up a good victim angle… _

The producers nudge them toward the firepit, and Hope rolls her eyes. “Really doesn’t feel as magical now that we’re here, does it?” she murmurs. Maria snickers.

The first thing Maria hears is heels against stone. “A girl,” Lottie hisses. Hannah looks as if she’s about to faint.

“Hi, everyone!” the new girl says, bright. “I’m Priya. I’m so excited to meet you all!”

Rocco whistles under his breath. “Mate,” mumbles Noah, earning a glare from Hope, “I know.”

Bobby springs to his feet — if the new girl ends up with him before Maria can even graft, she’s going to lose her mind — and waves. “I guess we’re the welcoming committee!”

After a tense huddle with the girls, Maria decides to greet Priya with Hope and Marisol, pointedly ignoring Lottie when she rolls her eyes. “Hi.” She beams. “I’m Maria. You’re stunning, by the way, we were just saying.”

Priya rests a hand on her heart. “Thank you so much.” She sighs. “I was worried I wouldn’t make too much of an impression, to be honest. You girls are all so gorgeous and I know I’m quite a bit older than most of you…”

“I didn’t notice at all,” says Rocco, shifting so that he’s just next to her. Hope and Maria exchange glances.

“What are they doing?” Bobby asks, squinting at the fireplace where Hannah and Lottie are whispering to each other. Maria scratches the back of her neck, trying to come up with a lie on the spot.

“Um,” she says. “They’re talking about something private.”

“How many secrets can you have in a day?” Bobby raises his brows and Priya makes a face at the floor.

“It’s okay.” She grins. “It’s only natural to not like me right now; I get it.”

“Whatever,” says Bobby, rolling his eyes. “Oi! Hannah! Lottie! Get over here!”

Lottie strides over with all the confidence of a seasoned runway model while Hannah skitters nervously behind her. “Hi,” she gushes, and Maria already has a bad feeling about this, “I’m Lottie. It’s so brave of you to come in when you’re just  _ so _ much older than everyone else here.”

“Leave it, Lottie,” Maria snaps, and hopefully the editors frame her in a good light because right now Lottie’s acting absolutely insane. “She’s just new; that’s not her fault.” Priya shoots her a grateful grin.

“Whatever, babes,” Lottie says, checking her cuticles. “Let’s hope you say the same when she takes Rocco.” She pauses. “Though that wouldn’t affect you too much, would it? Since you’re obviously more into Bobby anyway.”

“It’s day one,” says Noah, nervous as he shifts to stand between them. “We can save all the falling out for later, okay?” Lottie stares at him, sharp.

“Fine.”

**:**

“The beds here are so comfortable,” Hannah sighs happily, sinking into the mattress. Maria giggles as Rocco shuffles up close to her.

“You’re okay with this, right?” he asks. He looks oddly vulnerable. Maybe Maria made a good choice after all. “Sharing beds so early.”

“It’s part of the show.” Maria plays with a flyaway string on her pajamas. “And you’re not the worst to share with.”

Rocco smiles, obviously pleased. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Suddenly, they’re close -- close enough for Maria to lean in and press a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. He smells like mint and wine, which is a strange but not unpleasant combination.

“What, no more?” Rocco asks, and Maria rolls her eyes, burying herself under the covers.

“Goodnight, Rocco,” she yawns, letting herself cuddle up to him. She feels his smile against her back, comforting.

“Goodnight, Maria.”

:

“So,” a production assistant asks as Maria fixes her hair and sits back into a barely-relaxed position, “how are you feeling about your coupling with Rocco?”

“Oh, Rocco’s great.” She beams.  _ Go for lovestruck. _ “I’m not gonna lie; I was a little bit nervous at the start -- he reminded me of an ex, which isn’t the best sign, but he’s so charming and really sweet. I’m really happy with how things are going so far. Is it too early to say that?” She giggles. “It feels like it might be.”

“We saw you chatting a little with Bobby, too. Are you feeling sparks there?”

Maria shifts in her seat, pausing as she taps a finger against her chin. “I mean, Bobby’s definitely fit. And funny, which is nice. But honestly, I really just want to focus on Rocco right now and let things play out however they will, you know? I think he’ll be a good mate.”

“How are you feeling about the girls? Priya? Lottie?”

“I don’t know Priya well enough to have an opinion, but she seems really sweet! As for Lottie…” Maria wrinkles her nose. “Maybe she’ll grow on me. The girl I’m closest to so far is Hope, though, and I really hope everything works out there; she’s lovely.”

“All right, you’re free to go.”

As soon as Maria walks out, she hears Priya screech, “ _ Teeeext! _ ”

“We’re playing two truths and a lie,” Hope murmurs as Maria shifts to stand near her, eyebrows knitted firmly into a grimace. “They think Noah and I are gonna get everything right about each other; isn’t that fun?”

Maria glances at Rocco, who’s staring at Hannah’s ass.  _ Christ. _ “So not much pressure, then?” Hope snickers into her fist.

“Oh, you know. If he gets mine wrong we’ll have to decouple immediately.”

“That’ll give Priya an easy in, at least.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Hope says, but she’s laughing now, so Maria’s done her job. (At least she has until they both get each other’s wrong and she’s a little afraid they’ll actually break up.)

“Two truths and a lie,” says Rocco once they get to his turn, running a hand through his hair with a smile.  _ Yeah, _ thinks Maria,  _ we all know the game by now. _ “I once took an ancient European journey and had a vision of a paradise island, I’ve been arrested for being skyclad during a hike with a beautiful woman, and I’ve never had bad sex.”

“There’s no way you’ve never had bad sex,” scoffs Gary. Rocco raises his eyebrows.

“What, you’re admitting you have?”

“I’ve been fifteen before, so yeah.”

“I think,” Priya says carefully, squinting at him, “it’s the journey. You’re young, right? Too little time for that many adventures.”

“You never really know with Rocco though, do you?” Maria asks. Priya shrugs.

“He’s definitely the type to go streaking,” says Lottie, rolling her eyes. “So I doubt it’s the skyclad thing.”

“Maybe, but did he get arrested?” asks Marisol.

“Okay, final decision.” Maria closes her eyes. “I think it’s the bad sex.”

“Everyone’s had bad sex,” Gary says approvingly.

“Wrong,” crows Rocco, which is worrying if this relationship goes any further. “I’ve never had bad sex, because all sex is beautiful and transcendent, like making yourself one with the moon and stars and your lover all at once.” Hannah cringes. “I have been caught skyclad, but I didn’t get arrested. Charmed my way out of it.”

“I bet the officer just didn’t want to have to look at his dick for much longer,” Lottie mutters.

“You’ve really been on an ancient European tour?” Hannah asks, wide-eyed. “All over?”

“More or less,” says Rocco, shifting in his seat.

“So less,” Bobby chirps. Rocco glares.

“Where’d you go?” Hope’s eyebrows are raised so high Maria thinks she might get premature wrinkles from this alone.

“Oh, you know,” Rocco says airily, “Stonehenge.”

“And?”

“Well…”

“When did you go to Stonehenge?” Bobby asks. Rocco pauses.

“During secondary.”

“Mate,” says Gary, “this wasn’t a school trip, was it?” Rocco coughs loudly, running a hand through his hair before explaining that it was a journey for him and he understands things on a deeper level because of it and a million other things Maria can’t be arsed to keep track of.

“Maria’s up next, I think,” Priya interrupts, smiling at her. “Go ahead, hun.”

“Um,” Maria closes her eyes, “okay. I’ve only had coffee once in my entire life, I blew my entire paycheck on a really lovely scented candle, and I stole my best friend’s boyfriend.” Suddenly, all the girls’ eyes are on her, and none of them except Priya look amused.

“I don’t think Maria’s a boyfriend thief,” Hope begins carefully, throwing a glance at Noah. Maria offers a coy smile in return. “So I’m gonna say that’s the lie.”

“Really?” Bobby’s smiling just slightly. “We don’t know the full story. I was gonna guess the coffee thing; I think actors live off it. At least they should if they’re sane.”

“Still, stealing a boyfriend is a bad look on anyone no matter the story, isn’t it?” Lottie crosses her arms and shifts all her weight onto one foot. “You’re right though, Bobby; I could definitely see Maria doing it.”  _ Wow, she really hates me. _

“I think Maria’s a responsible girl,” Rocco declares. “So the candle has to be a lie. Final answer.”

“It’s actually the coffee.” Hope looks like she’s about to explode and Lottie looks entirely too satisfied. “I drink a lot, yeah. Um, the paycheck was just thirty dollars, so all things considered it wasn’t too much, and the boyfriend was in kindergarten.” Maria grins. “I’d like to think I’ve become a better friend since then.”

“What was the scent?” Priya asks. Everyone stares at her. “Of the candle, I mean.”

“New York City.” Maria tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “I was curious and it was actually really nice.”

“I would’ve thought it’d smell like sewage,” Bobby muses. He smiles at Lottie. “See, boyfriend thievery isn’t really a bad look. It’s like, a neutral look. Or something.”

“Let’s have a chat, Bobby,” Lottie says, terse, before she drags him to the lawn and starts whispering furiously. Maria walks over to Rocco and sits beside him. He pulls her into a cuddle and rests his head on her shoulder, sighing.

“You know,” he murmurs, “you really are one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever met. Not a line.”

“Sure it’s not,” Maria says lightly, but she’s blushing a little anyway. (Christ. She’s not even sure she likes him as a person, but he’s so physically her type it’s hard to remember.) Her phone dings. “I’ve got a text!” she calls. “Islanders, the time has come for Priya to choose which boy she wants to couple up with. All islanders must now gather at the firepit. #decisionsdecisions, #onawingandapriya.”

Lottie looks oddly calm as she settles on the opposite side of the firepit from Maria, muttering something to Hannah. Rocco squeezes Maria’s hand reassuringly. Hope looks between Noah and the floor at least sixty times before Priya finally walks up to the firepit in a shimmering golden gown. 

“I never thought I’d be in this position,” Priya begins, and Bobby opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but Lottie steps on his foot before he can. “First of all, I want to thank everyone for being so welcoming. It’s not easy coming in as the new girl and having to catch up. All of you have been so lovely, which makes it even harder to make this decision.” She takes a long, shaky breath. “But I came to the villa to find love, so even though someone might be upset, I have to go with my heart. So that’s why the boy I want to couple up with is…”

She pauses again. Lottie hisses something like  _ get on with it _ , and Priya glares.

“Rocco.”

_ Wait, what? _

Lottie slaps a hand over her mouth --  _ yeah, that’s right, _ Maria thinks, annoyed,  _ you’re not gonna be all girl code now that it’s me _ \-- and Rocco stands slowly and walks over to Priya, throwing a glance behind him at her.

“I get it. Don’t worry,” Maria says with a smile, and honestly, she does. Sort of. Priya hasn’t talked to Rocco at all but then again, none of them really talked to the boys they ended up with either. “You two make a really cute couple.”

“Thank you.” Priya looks like she’s going to cry, which is not at all what Maria wants. “Could we still have a chat later, though?”

“Yeah, of course!” Maria’s phone chimes again.  _ Maria, Priya has just stolen your partner, leaving you single and vulnerable. Anyone single after the first recoupling will be dumped from the villa. #getgrafting #readytomingle. _ Lottie glances at Bobby, who’s staring at Maria as if he’s calculating something.

After everyone disperses again and Maria’s had a moment (half an hour) to lie down, Bobby walks over to her. “Can we have a chat?”

“Sure,” she says, and Bobby leads her to the swinging bench.

“Listen,” he begins in a low voice, “are you really in this for love?”

“What?”

“I mean,” he pauses, careful, “like, did you come on here purely to find the love of your life or are there other motivations?”

“Does anyone come on here just to find the love of their life?” Maria asks, just as carefully. They won’t air this, she thinks; it’ll ruin whatever illusion of reality Love Island has left. Bobby grins.

“Okay, so I was thinking,” he leans back against the bench, crossing his arms, “you’re obviously cut out to be a fan favorite. Not to, like, be cocky or anything, but I think I might be too. So…”

“You want us to couple up and split the fifty if we win?” she asks. His smile goes so wide it’s infectious.

“You said it, not me. Plus if we stay on here for long enough the money’s the least of what we’ll have going.” Maria looks down at her mic pack, and Bobby shakes his head. “They’re not going to air this. I have a friend who worked for production last year; they want to keep everything looking real.”

Maria pauses. “What about Lottie?”

“If she freaks out,” he says, “she’ll look like an idiot. It’s the first recoupling and we’ve had like, two actual chats. What about you and Rocco?”

“I think,” she looks over at Rocco, who hasn’t tried to speak with her once since Priya coupled up with him, “he’ll be fine.”

“Yeah?” Bobby’s close now, enough for her to count the freckles smattered across his face if she had the time. Instead, she leans back.

“Yeah.”

Bobby springs to his feet and shakes her hand. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

“You’re kind of weird, aren’t you?” Maria asks, and Bobby just winks and does a captain’s salute as he walks away.

Maria thinks she’ll have to thank Priya later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge thanks to everyone on the litg fanfiction sub & discord for being so supportive <3


	3. Recoupling

“Maria!” Priya calls, waving her over to the kitchen. “Could we have that chat I asked about earlier?” Maria nods and walks toward her, grabbing an apple as she sits down. “Listen, I just wanted to say sorry about taking Rocco.”

“You really don’t have to.” Maria takes a large bite of the apple and swallows it before she continues. “Like I said, you guys look cute together. Plus we were only together for like, two days. If you like him, you deserve a shot the same as I do.”

“Well, that’s the thing.” Priya grimaces. “I don’t -- like, really like him. At least in that way, yet.”

Maria blinks.

“I just figured you were the least likely to make a fuss,” she adds quickly, “since you’ve been so welcoming and all. I thought of stealing Ibrahim from Marisol, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if she’s actually chill or pretending to be.”

“You’re the bombshell, though.” Maria sets the apple down onto the table and stares. “Like, if you’re not taking the guy you want, that just creates a bigger mess for later, doesn’t it?”

Priya butters a slice of bread a little frantically. “Are you upset with me?”

“I mean, no,” Maria says, making sure to keep her eye roll contained to when Priya looks down at her food, “but I still think you should’ve gone for who you actually want, like… if you try to go after him later, it just comes off as snakier if he’s more firmly coupled up.”

“I think he’s already pretty coupled up,” mutters Priya. Maria squints at her for a moment before she realizes.

“Don’t tell me it’s Noah,” she says. Priya gives her a hopeless smile.

“So you can see why I’m not totally into going after my heart.”

“Yeah.” Maria fills up a glass with water and stirs it with a straw. There’s no way she can encourage Priya to go after Noah without coming off like a snake, now that she’s closest with Hope, but saying anything else will come off as hypocritical. She takes a sip of her drink. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“I get it. You’re close with Hope.” Priya wrings her hands. “I’ve really done it now, haven’t I?”

_ You haven’t done anything, _ Maria wants to scream.  _ That’s the problem. _

“You haven’t done anything,” she says aloud, reaching over and patting Priya’s shoulder. “Now that you’re with Rocco, I reckon you should give it a shot. It’s still early days.”

“What about you, though?” Priya asks. “You’re in danger now.” Maria glances over at Bobby, who’s gesturing animatedly at an unimpressed Noah. He catches her eye and winks.

“I think I’ll be okay.”

:

_ It would be weird to ditch Rocco without even talking to him, _ Maria thinks, lounging by the pool.  _ Even if he hasn’t made the effort to talk to me. _ She sighs, adjusting her bathing suit as she gets up and walks to the daybeds.

“Hey,” she says. Rocco looks up and smiles at her.

“Maria, ma cherie.” He pulls her in and kisses her on both cheeks. “Lovely to see you.”

“I’ve been at the pool for hours now,” she replies, sitting beside him. “Fairly sure you’ve been seeing me for awhile.” Rocco laughs.

“What can I say? I’m enjoying the view.” After a moment of awkward silence, he clears his throat. “Alright, then. Let’s chat.” He cards a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I’m really torn between you and Priya right now.”

_ Find something to get mad about and there’s your out _ . Maria purses her lips. “Why?”

“Well,” sighs Rocco, “your aura is so incredibly unique, but Priya’s beauty is unparalleled, you know? So it all comes down to which sense I indulge.”

Maria silently thanks whatever benevolent god made it so easy to get angry at him. “Are you serious right now?”

Rocco tilts his head. “I mean, yeah. I really like you.” He reaches out as if to hold her hand, and she pulls back.

“You basically just called me ugly,” she says, straightening up so that she can look down at him, “and you’re choosing who to recouple with based on -- what? Who you can get off with? Is that it? Is that what you mean by my aura?”

“N-no,” stammers Rocco, scrambling so that he’s sitting up and facing her. “I just meant, like, obviously Priya’s something special, yeah? Like, you’ve got to be blind not to think -- ”

“Really winning me over here.” Maria stands up. “Pick Priya for all I care. Honestly, I’m not gonna stick with someone saying all this literally straight to my face.”

“Come on,” Rocco calls as Maria walks away. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Whatever,” Maria huffs. She finds Bobby at the gym, peering at all the equipment instead of using it. “Hey.”

Bobby waves at her. “Hey.” He looks over at the daybeds, where Rocco’s glaring. “I take it that conversation didn’t go well?” Maria rolls her eyes, grabbing a set of dumbbells and starting her reps.

“The less said about it the better.”

“Aw, c’mon.” Bobby sits on a yoga ball and propels himself in circles around her. “You can’t say that; now you’ve got me curious.” Despite Maria’s best efforts, she laughs, and he grins, stopping so that he’s facing her.

“Okay, it’s like… basically he said Priya was prettier than me but I have a nice aura, whatever the hell that means, so he’s torn between us or something.” She rolls her eyes. “To hell with him, honestly. I’m not anyone’s second choice.” Bobby stares at her for a long, oddly soft few seconds with a dopey small smile.

He clears his throat. “I’ll pick you tonight.” He looks away, shy, like they didn’t plan all this the night before. “Like, if you’re cool with it. Even as a friendship couple, I don’t mind; I just want you to stay on here.”

Maria allows herself a moment to marvel at his acting skills before smiling and setting the dumbbells back in their rack. “I’d actually really like that.” She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “If it’s not a friendship couple, I’d, um,” her eyes dart between him and the floor and she thinks between them they’ve come up with the most genius plan in the villa, “like that too.”

Bobby beams at her. “Good. I’m glad.” He lifts his hand to the sky, palm facing the sun like he’s trying to shield her from it. “It’s bright out here.”

“You have such nice hands!”

He blinks at her, surprised. “Thank you. They’re piano fingers; I played for awhile.”

“In your band, right?” she asks. “Paisley Cuddle. I remember.”

“You’ve been paying attention.” He grins. “I played classically for a long time before then, though. Just adapted it well to punk rock, I guess.”

Maria gives up on pretending to work out and sits on the bench. “You’ll have to show me sometime.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Good,” says Maria, and Bobby laughs. He has a pretty laugh, too -- now that Maria thinks about it, most things about him are pretty, from his hands to his smile to his voice.

( _ No shit, _ she thinks, grounding herself..  _ We were all picked for being beautiful. _ )

Bobby leaps to his feet, smoothly kicking the yoga ball back into the corner. “Well, I’ll be off, then. I should leave you some time to work out without getting distracted by my charming looks and personality.”

“And your modesty as well,” Maria adds drily. Bobby laughs again before walking off.

:

“Text!” Gary roars. “Islanders, tonight there will be a recoupling. The boys will choose. Whoever is still single by the end of the evening will be dumped from the Villa immediately. #timesup.” Everyone stares at each other, stricken. Hannah looks like she’ll fall over at any minute.

“Maria,” Hope says after everyone’s dispersed, cheerful. “Want to talk at the firepit?”

“Are you planning to couple up?” asks Maria, and Hope laughs.

“Maybe if Noah weren’t around.” She winks. Maria wonders if she should read into it and settles on probably not. They sit by the firepit, away from eyes that have been following Maria around since she was told to get grafting yesterday. “Listen, I know I’m sorted, but are you? I mean, I saw your chat with Rocco, and it didn’t… look super promising.”

Maria pauses, leaning back so her weight rests on her hands. “Yeah, I don’t think Rocco and I are going to get back together unless he’s actually insane.” She looks at Hope for a second and then at the center of the firepit, where the flame will burn later tonight, where one girl will be told her summer is over already. “I think Bobby might pick me, though.”

Hope squeals. “I knew you guys were talking!” She lowers her voice. “What are you planning to do about Lottie, though?”

“Bobby said he’d go for a chat with her.” Maria groans. “And I probably should too, shouldn’t I?” Hope jerks her head to her left, where Maria sees Lottie quickly approaching, looking as if she’s ready to roast her in the firepit.

“See you later, babes. Don’t get burned by the dragon.” Hope blows her a kiss as she walks away, ignoring Maria’s whispered pleas for help.

Lottie’s lips are curved into a half-sneer. “Let’s have a chat.”

“Um, yeah.” Maria pats the area Hope just left, reminding herself that she can’t take someone’s man and then act like a coward after. “Sure. I’m assuming Bobby spoke to you?”

“He did.” She sits down and crosses her legs. “He said he felt a real connection with you, which is all fine and good, but I was thinking -- why didn’t Maria, who’s obviously such a girl’s girl, come talk to me first?”

“I only spoke to him like, two hours ago, and since then it’s been nonstop chats with basically everyone.” (With Hope and a half-conversation about Hemingway with Hannah and Marisol, but still.) “I was planning to talk to you. I promise.”

Lottie pins her with a hard, considering stare. “Yeah, well, you could’ve planned to talk to me a little faster.” She sighs. “It’s fine, though.”

_ It’s what? _

“Bobby basically friendzoned me, like, three hours after we started talking. It’s really not going anywhere. Honestly, I was kind of hoping…” She glances over at the kitchen, where Rocco’s cheerfully making Gary a muddy looking smoothie, and then away. “Well. I was kind of hoping for someone else, anyway, so he’s all yours.” She stands up, adjusting one of her bikini straps. “I still don’t like you.”

Maria blinks at her, wide-eyed. “Okay, I guess.”

Lottie nods at her before turning on her heel and walking away. Hope, who’s lounging on the lawn with Noah a few meters away, mouths  _ how’d it go? _

Maria just shoots her a thumbs up and lies down on the cold stone by the bench. She’s beginning to think she’ll need a vacation from this vacation.

:

Bobby yawns as he and Maria sink into the beanbags. “What’s your favorite fruit?” he asks. Maria squints at him. “Just wanted to know.”

“I’ve always quite liked oranges,” she says, thoughtful. “My mum always said they’re the easiest to share with a friend, which I think is sweet.” Bobby’s smiling at her again, sort of dazed like the summer heat’s already getting to him. “What about you?”

“Hm.” He pokes his tongue out of his mouth as he thinks. “Mangos. I don’t really have a sentimental reason. They’re pretty and they taste good.” He falls further into his beanbag, letting out a pleased sigh when he finally relaxes all the way.

“Do you have any idea on who the boys are planning to pick?” Maria asks after a moment of silence. He groans.

“We were having such a good chat about fruits, Maria. We don’t have to mess it up with recoupling talk.”

“The chat was over,” Maria argues.

Bobby clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Okay, fine. Noah’s going with Hope, obviously, and hopefully I’ll get to pick you.” He shoots her a small grin before continuing. “Unclear on Rocco, but I don’t think he wants Priya -- maybe Lottie? I saw her making eyes at him, and Gary could honestly pick anyone. Definitely not Hannah, though.”

“So the girls at risk are…” Maria closes her eyes. “Probably not Priya; someone’s going to pick her. Lottie, Hannah, and Marisol, then?” She pauses. “Wait, what about Ibrahim?”

“No idea.”

Maria hums. “I’ll go figure it out, then. Be right back.”

“No,” Bobby moans halfheartedly, “don’t go.” Maria rolls her eyes at him before turning and walking away, and he laughs.

Ibrahim’s by the pool, kicking his legs in the water. Maria sits by him and waves. “Hey.”

Ibrahim stares at her warily. “Are you going to ask me to recouple with you, because no offense, but I already -- ”

“I don’t want to recouple with you,” Maria interrupts. He visibly relaxes. “I was wondering who you did want to couple up with, actually.”

“Why?”

She shrugs. “Just nosy, I guess.”

He looks around before lowering his voice. “Actually, I was thinking of coupling up with Hannah. We’ve been chatting recently, and she’s really sweet. A lot less… you know, talky, than Marisol, which is better for me.” His eyes are wide, like he’s been caught cheating on an exam. “Do you think we have a shot?”

“Yeah!” Maria grins. “You two would be really cute together, actually. I’m not just saying that, either; you seem really well suited.”

Ibrahim brightens. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely.” She glances over at Marisol, who’s arguing with Lottie about tarot on the lawn. “Just… maybe chat to Marisol about it first? So that she doesn’t get blindsided by it or anything.”

“Oh, yeah.” Ibrahim scratches the back of his neck. “Sure. I’ll try to do that.” Maria smiles as she gets up.

“Great. See you later, Ibrahim.”

Ibrahim smiles back at her, dazzling. “You can call me Rahim.” Maria beams.

“Okay, see you later, then, Rahim.”

:

The girls’ dressing room is quiet today. Priya keeps wiping off and redoing her eyeliner, and Maria sort of wants to offer to help her so it doesn’t end up smudged, but she thinks her hands will be too shaky to do much anyway. “So,” Marisol says, quiet, “how are we feeling?”

Lottie shrugs. “Things will either go my way or they won’t.” She glares at Maria. “Though if they don’t, I’ll know who to blame.”  _ What happened to not being mad? _

“I think I’ll be okay.” Hannah hums a bright tune Maria can’t quite place, twirling around as she picks a frilly pink frock. “What about the rest of you?”

Priya makes a face at herself in the mirror. “It’ll be humiliating if I get dumped two days after coming in, but it is what it is.” Lottie smirks as she does her hair.

“It really would be a shame if all that grafting didn’t work out.”

“Girls,” Hope says admonishingly, “let’s be nice. It’s someone’s last day here.”

“Great reminder, Hope,” says Marisol, blending out her contour. “Thanks.”

Maria carefully glues on her lashes. “Come on,” she says. “You know she didn’t mean it like that.” Marisol frowns.

“I know. I’m just -- like, it’s not fun hearing all this from someone who’s obviously safe, you know?”

Maria glances at Priya, who looks at Hope and then back in the mirror, applying a thin coat of lip gloss with a stonily neutral face.

“Are we ready?” asks Hope. Everyone else nods. “All right, then; let’s go.”

The crackling of the firepit and adjustment of cameras are the only noise in the air for a long minute. Finally, a phone chimes. Noah beams at Hope, standing up. “I never thought I’d find someone so quickly on here…”

As he talks about what a connection he feels, Maria looks over at Priya, who’s fidgeting with her bracelets. When Noah says  _ the girl I’d like to couple up with is Hope _ , Priya smiles and claps politely, throwing Maria a shrug.

Ibrahim’s phone buzzes next. He clears his throat. “This decision has been a bit of a weird one for me. I’m not really one to have my head turned, at least on the outside, but this girl has managed to do it in here. She’s gorgeous, kind, and even though I don’t know what she’s saying half the time, I know I want to.” Marisol looks confused —  _ oh, no, _ Maria realizes, eyes widening — as Ibrahim continues, “So the girl I’d like to couple up with is Hannah.” Hannah squeals and runs over to him, throwing her arms around him in a warm hug before they both sit down.

“You’re kidding me,” Marisol scoffs. “You didn’t even think to chat with me? Let me know your head got turned so I didn’t look like a bloody idiot, maybe?”

“Don’t be like that,” says Ibrahim, and before he can say anything else, Bobby’s phone chirps.

“Let’s put,” he motions vaguely at Marisol and Ibrahim, “all this aside for a moment so I can get my bit done, yeah?” He beams right at Maria. “I’d like to couple up with this girl because she’s a stunner all around. She’s cute, she’s funny, we get on fantastically, and she said my hands were nice so obviously her taste is amazing. You guys know I’ve had some trouble seeing anyone as more than a friend, but I reckon she could change that.” He takes a deep breath. “So the girl I’d like to couple up with is Maria.”

Maria walks up to him and kisses him lightly, grinning when he kisses her cheek in return. “Thank you,” she murmurs, and he just squeezes her hand. Even Lottie looks a little touched. ( _ Bobby could make a really good evil genius _ , Maria thinks,  _ because this is going flawlessly. _ )

Rocco stands up next. “My first choice was taken,” he glares at Bobby, “but that’s okay, because honestly, I’d probably be better suited for this girl anyway.”

“I think he’s actually delusional,” Maria whispers. Bobby snickers. Rocco ends his speech by picking Lottie, who looks an odd cross between pleased and confused. Priya and Marisol huddle close, gripping each other’s hands as Gary clears his throat.

“Right, well. I haven’t found a girl I have a great connection with yet, but it could be this one. We haven’t chatted much yet but I already know she’s funny, smart, and like, completely flames.” He grins. “So the girl I’d like to couple up with is Priya.”

Priya heaves out a relieved sigh before hugging Marisol and walking over to Gary. Everyone crowds around Marisol to wish her goodbye, and she hugs them quickly before storming to Ibrahim. “I could’ve tried chatting to someone new,” she snaps, “if you’d just told me we weren’t working, you prick.”

“I was going to,” says Ibrahim lamely. “I just couldn’t find the right time.”

Marisol snorts. “Sure, Ibrahim.” She wipes her eyes and walks out the door without so much as a goodbye to everyone else.

“Well,” says Bobby after everyone’s dispersed other than him, Maria, and Priya, “that was a weird one.” Priya glances over at Gary, who’s struggling to make a sandwich.

“Maybe it’ll be okay,” she says, halfhearted. “Best to be optimistic, right?”

“Or you could be honest,” Maria says lightly, and with that, she waltzes off to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first big canon divergence !!
> 
> thank you to becca for betaing my outline <3


	4. Fighting and Flirting

Listening to Bobby sing “Ave Maria” in full operatic bloom is certainly the most interesting way Maria’s woken up in months. “Brunch,” he crows when he sees her eyes open. “Morning, gorgeous.”

“Talk to me in an hour,” she groans. Bobby shakes his head, grinning.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late.” He pokes at her until she sighs and throws the covers off, trudging to the dressing room as he cheers behind her. She tucks her hair into a high bun, curls popping out the side, before she picks a plain pink bikini that won’t be too much trouble to get on — she can’t be arsed to try today, and they just recoupled, so it’s not really like she has to. When she crosses the lawn to get to the tables, Hannah’s murmuring to Priya. She sees Maria and waves her over.

“Hi, babe.” Hannah beams at her, then wrinkles her nose. “Oh, you look… nice! Was there nothing else to wear today?”

 _Okay, ouch._ “Overslept,” Maria explains. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, we’re just talking about our couples.” Priya plays with her earrings. “Maria probably already knows this, but I’m not… you know, the happiest I could be with Gary. He’s nice, but I don’t think either of our hearts are in it.” 

Hannah sighs. “I could kind of see that, honestly. He did go last, after all.” 

Priya winces. 

“Not like that!” Hannah adds quickly, eyes wide. “Just like… it’s obviously not ideal.”

Priya forces on a grin. Maria realizes she’s probably the only one in the villa who knows about her and Noah. “Well,” she shrugs, “I think they’re gonna bring in my dream guy soon enough. Big, tattooed, confident…” She pauses for a moment, regaining her composure. “Anyway, how are you two doing in your couples? Are you feeling a spark?”

“And something more,” Maria answers, rolling her eyes when Priya snickers. “Not like that, you perv. I just really like him.”

Hannah squeals. “I’m so happy for you! I think things with Ibrahim are going really well so far. He’s so sweet, and it’s nice talking to someone who isn’t, like, super smooth or obsessed with boy talk.” 

As she starts talking about Ibrahim’s failed pickup lines, Maria notices Bobby holding two plates piled cartoonishly high with food.

“I think Bobby’s about to fall over,” she says, “so I’ll talk to you guys later, yeah?” They wave as she walks away.

“I got oranges,” he says, shooting her a smile as she takes her plate gratefully. “Maybe we can share?”

“Yeah, if you take half of everything else, too.” The plate wobbles. 

Bobby laughs. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got a little bit of everything.” He motions her over to a table at the corner, of the lawn, far enough that only the cameramen walking by will be able to catch snippets of their conversation. “I was thinking — eventually, they’re going to bring in new guys. If one of them is really your type, would you give this up?”

Maria shakes her head. “I tried my type with Rocco and it was a disaster. Plus, whatever two month post-villa relationship this brings won’t be the same as twenty five thousand pounds.” Bobby grabs an orange and begins to peel it.

“You’re already convinced we’ll win, then?”

“I’m trying to be optimistic.” The cameramen shuffle over to their table, and she clears her throat, reading off a cue card placed at their table. “What would you do with unlimited money?”

Bobby pauses, sucking in a long breath before he answers, “Probably buy a cinema chain.” Maria stares at him. “What? It’d be all over the country and I’d have it only play Ratatouille.”

“Ratatouille,” she repeats. He grins.

“It’s an inspiring story about following your passions and creating for yourself, not for others. What’s not to like?” He takes a bite of french toast. “Not to mention the lady chef was, like, my sexual awakening. She could butter my baguette any day.”

Maria snorts, covering her mouth. “You’re completely ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously attractive, maybe,” Bobby returns. “Like the lady chef.” The cameramen, seemingly satisfied, walk over to Priya and Gary, who are scraping awkwardly at their nearly empty plates Bobby follows her gaze. “Ouch. Lucky we got enough food to not be awkward, right?”

“I dunno.” Maria picks up a slice of honeydew with her fork and swallows it. “I reckon we’d be okay without it, too.” Bobby looks around the brunch set.

“What are your thoughts on the other couples, by the way?”

“Right now, I reckon Hope and Noah and maybe Ibrahim and Hannah are our only competition,” says Maria honestly.

“Confident, are we?”

“Oh, like you aren’t, Mister Probable Fan Favorite. Plus, that’s two couples out of four, so not really.”

Bobby rests his chin on his hand. “It would be a bit diabolical to try to break them up, wouldn’t it?”

“Also a complete dick move,” she replies. “Like, yeah, it’s a competition, but Hope’s a good person and she seems happy, so… you know. We’d come off too schemey, too.”

“Well,” he looks down at his food and then back up, “aren’t we?”

Maria sips her coffee. “Yeah, but the public doesn’t vote for schemey couples. And I’m not hurting Hope if I can help it, so that’s it.”

“Fair. I was only joking anyway.” Bobby busies himself with his pancakes, and Maria takes the moment of quiet to look over the other couples: Lottie’s currently reading Rocco’s palms while he gazes over her at Priya, who’s sitting in stilted silence with Gary. She’s not sure what Ibrahim and Hannah are talking about but they’re both blushing, so it really could be anything, and Hope and Noah look completely at ease and yet somehow regal.

 _Poor Priya._ Maria takes another sip of her coffee. _She’s going to have it rough in here if she keeps going after him; they’re so into each other._

The other couples begin to clean up, and as Bobby starts to pick up plates, Maria grabs his arm. “This was a nice date,” she says awkwardly. “Like, even with the ending chat. You’re fun to talk to.”

Bobby grins at her. “I think it was, too.”

:

Priya and Hope collapse onto the bean bags on either side of Maria, who shifts so that she’s not directly facing the sun. 

“You know,” says Hope dreamily, “it’s so nice being in here. Like, I love my job and everything, but sometimes you really do just need to take a break, lay in the sun, and stare at fit boys.”

“You’re so right.” Priya spreads out her hair so that it fans around her like a halo. “On the outside, it’s just, like, so much work all the time. And my job’s good money, so I can’t really complain, but being on constant vacation is so nice.” She glances at Maria. “What about you, though? Is being an actress all the glamor it’s made out to be?”

Maria tosses her head back as she laughs. “I’ve been out of school less than a year, just been in some plays and commercials. Nothing big.”

“Wait.” Hope points at her. “Are you the girl from that orange juicer infomercial?”

“Citrus juicer,” Maria corrects automatically. “Yeah, I was.”

“I knew you looked familiar!” Hope makes exaggerated hand motions mimicking something Maria thinks is supposed to be from her commercial, but she can’t tell exactly what it is. “You came on my telly every other week. I even considered ordering it and I only buy that nasty one percent orange juice stuff anyway.”

“I’ve never seen it,” Priya muses. She shrugs. “It’ll probably be all over the telly when we get to the outside, so I’ll watch it then.”

“Oh, don’t; I sounded completely daft. I only had like, two lines anyway, since most of it was physical.” Priya makes eyes at her and she blushes. “Not like that!” All three of them laugh until someone yells _text!_

“Islanders,” says Hannah. “It’s time to see your true colors — who’s squeaky clean and who likes to get down and dirty. #timetoplaydirty, #mixthingsup.” She wrinkles her nose. “You don’t think they’ll make us, like, spit food in each others’ mouths, will they?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Ibrahim says mournfully.

“I’m always down for getting dirty.” Priya winks at no one in particular.

“We know,” Lottie mutters.

“What was that?”

Lottie smiles sweetly. “Nothing, babes.”

“I hope it’s something slimy,” Bobby says brightly, walking over to stand by Maria and laughing when everyone else boos at him. “The texture’s fun.”

“Mate,” says Gary, pulling a face, “I reckon I’m lucky I don’t know how your mind works.”

“I’m a misunderstood genius,” Bobby laments, yelping when Maria elbows him. When they reach the stage, they find buckets of slime in different colors on one side, clear plastic jugs on the other, and a large paddling pool settled in between.

“I take it you’re happy, then?” asks Lottie, staring at hers and Rocco’s marked bucket, filled with blue.

“As a clam.” Bobby smiles.

Maria gets the text explaining that they have to upend their bucket of slime on the boys’ bodies and the girls will create a color by combining the boys’ slime. “Winner gets ice lollies,” she says, and everyone instantly seems more poised to go. _Wow._ She raises her eyebrows. _Guess we’re all bored._

“All right,” says Bobby, spreading his arms and facing the sky, “get it all over me.”

She obliges, pouring it so that it just barely misses his hair but lands on his face. “Perfect.” He pumps his fist in the air. “You know, this reminds me of a night out I once had.”

“A story for another time?” asks Maria. Bobby taps his nose.

“If you’re lucky.”

The girls go to stand by their jugs while the boys stand on the opposite end of the pool. Their phones ring simultaneously, and Maria glances down — _orange,_ she reads, which means she’ll have to go for either Noah or Rocco. Beside her, the rest of the girls take stances as if this is a professional track competition. The air horn blares, and they all begin running.

“This is horrifying,” mutters Ibrahim, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Rocco’s eyes are closed, as if welcoming whoever wants to touch him. Maria exchanges glances with Hope before running over to Bobby.

“Hey, babe,” she says, shuffling closer so that they’re nose to nose. “Mind if I steal something?”

Bobby’s breath catches in his throat. “I’m all yours,” he murmurs. His voice is soft enough that Maria wonders if the mics will pick it up at all. Instead of dwelling on it, she grinds against him just enough that she’s covered in yellow. He snakes his arm around her waist and drops his mouth to her ear.

“We should continue this later,” he says, voice low. Her heart is beating way faster than it should be. Before she can reply, he twirls her so that they’re standing apart. “Go get the next color; I want ice lollies!”

“Who says I’d share?” she calls as she hurries over to Rocco. “Don’t be weird about this.”

Rocco grins lazily at her. “Mon amour, I knew you’d want more of me eventually.”

“I said don’t make this weird.” She rolls her eyes as she rubs up against him, more functional than anything. By the time she gets back to the other end of the stage, the girls are struggling to get the slime off their bodies, scraping themselves against the jugs. “Bobby!” she calls, in what might be her most inspired stroke of genius so far. “Come get this slime off me!”

“They said no hands!” says Hannah.

“They said we can’t use our hands,” Maria corrects. Bobby’s hands run along her sides, dipping slightly below her waist before coming back up. As she feels herself heat up in response, she searches for Priya, trying to find literally anything else to focus on. Priya’s grinding against Noah, who looks… pleased? _Interesting_

Lottie follows her gaze and barks out a laugh. “You see what I said, girls? Anything to rub up on someone else’s man, right?”

Bobby steps back, gazing proudly at their orange slime. He glances over at Priya and Noah and then back at Hope, whose face looks like it’s flitting through around thirty different emotions. “I’ll, um,” he windmills dramatically as he steps backwards toward the boys’ end, “get back to my spot, then.”

“Probably for the best,” Maria agrees.

“What the hell is going on here?” asks Hope, mouth set in a thin straight line. “You don’t need red to make green; we’ve all been in grade three art.”

“Oh!” Priya scurries back to her jug. “I, um, mixed up my colors.”

 _Come on,_ Maria thinks desperately. _The least you can do is own it._

“Don’t play innocent,” Lottie snaps. “You just wanted to stick it on him while Hope had her back turned.”

“Guys,” Hannah interrupts nervously, “maybe we should all calm down. It’s just a challenge. Priya might have honestly gotten mixed up.”

Hope tenses for a moment before nodding. “Priya, let’s have a chat later.” When it’s clear she won’t say anything else, Priya smiles gratefully.

“Of course,” she replies. “As long as Lottie’s not hovering behind you like the harpy she is, I’d love to.”

“Oh, whatever.” Lottie flicks her hair behind her shoulder. “It’s not my fault I understand loyalty and you don’t.” 

“Seriously, Lottie,” Maria snaps, because she’s reasonably sure Lottie’s coming off as deranged enough right now for Maria to get a hero angle, “Hope already got it sorted and it’s her man. Leave off.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect you to say anything different.” Lottie glares at her and then at Priya, who just rolls her eyes and sets her jug down.

Maria’s phone chimes, and she lets out a relieved sigh as she checks the text. “Maria,” she reads out, “as the islander with the slime that most resembles your assigned color, you win today’s challenge and the ice lollies. #willyoushare, #lickaway.”

“Well, will you share?” asks Bobby.

“Absolutely not,” Maria replies, sticking her tongue out and making a run for it. The rest of the islanders follow behind her, the tense mood seemingly broken for now.

:

The dressing room is calm for an entire six and a half minutes before things begin to kick off. “Not gonna lie,” says Priya, cleaning up her eyeliner, “I really love this look.”

“You could steal a thousand hearts looking like that!” Hannah exclaims. Lottie glares at her.

“As if that’s not her intention.”

Maria steps away from them and toward Hope, who looks incredibly tired. “D’you think I’d be able to sneak an extra cocktail tonight?” she asks, rubbing the space between her eyebrows.

“If worst comes to worst, I’ll steal Bobby’s for both of us.” They both look over at Priya and Lottie, who are arguing around a terrified looking Hannah.

“You’ve been making childish comments about me all day,” Priya snarls. “No, not even — since I got here! And what was my crime? Coming in a few hours after you did?”

“Childish?” Lottie rolls her eyes. “I’m 24, babe.”

“Then act like it, because right now, you remind me of a secondary school bully.” Priya crosses her arms. “You’re always acting like you’re here for girl code and friendship, but all you ever do is create cliques and bully people. You do it in here nonstop and I’d be willing to bet you do it on the outside too.”

“She doesn’t,” Hannah says, leaping into the fray. “Lottie’s a good friend!”

Priya throws her a sympathetic glance. “Okay, babes. If you say so.”

“You know what?” Lottie stands up, her chair squeaking harshly against the floor as she crosses the room. “I’m done with this.”

“There you go again,” Priya yells, storming after her, “walking off!”

Hannah’s lip trembles. “I hate seeing them fight.”

Maria sighs. “When are they not?”

“Game plan,” Hope says, squeezing her eyes shut. “Maria, can you help me sort things out with Priya and Lottie? Hannah, you should probably go take a break — Ibrahim and the other boys can keep you company for a little, right? And then we’ll all meet up at the firepit.”

“Yeah.” Hannah sniffles. “I’ll go do that.”

Maria squeezes her shoulder softly. “I promise we’ll have this all figured out soon. It’ll be old drama in like, two days, okay?”

“I hope so.” Hannah lets out a shuddering breath, and it strikes Maria again that she’s so young and acts even younger. _She’ll be torn apart in here_.

“All right,” says Hope after a silent moment of solidarity, “let’s go after them.”

By the time they get down to the kitchen, Bobby and Gary are staring, bewildered, at the spot Maria assumes Priya and Lottie just left. “Really not sure what just happened,” says Bobby, glancing over at Maria anxiously, “but I don’t like it.”

“Hope and I are sorting it out,” Maria says, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Could you get Ibrahim over here and keep Hannah company for a bit?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bobby answers, shooting her a thumbs up. Maria rolls her eyes, but she can’t bite back a smile.

Priya’s sitting alone by the pool, dress hiked up to her thighs as she kicks her legs in the water. “Hey.” Maria takes a seat beside her. “Mind if I join you?”

“You’re already here,” Priya replies. She smiles, soft and sad. “But I wouldn’t mind anyway.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Shit.” Priya laughs. “You know that, though. Mostly I’m just annoyed Lottie kept pushing it after Hope and I already talked it out. Really isn’t any of her business.”

“You’re so right,” Maria agrees, because honestly, Lottie’s been an ass and Priya doesn’t deserve it (mostly — the half-grafting is a little shady, but she’ll let it slide). “She really does do the whole cliquey mean girl thing to death, doesn’t she?”

“Ugh, I _know_. I just hope Hannah figures it out soon, poor girl.” Priya pauses, tapping her nails against the tiled edge of the pool. “Being in here feels like the worst parts of being a teenager and I haven’t even gotten a good man out of it.”

“Hey.” Maria scoots over so that they’re shoulder to shoulder. “It’s been two days. Your dream man is coming, I promise.”

Priya smiles at her. “I hope so.” She runs a hand through her hair. “Thanks for being here for me, by the way. You really are a great friend.”

“Anytime,” Maria says, and she finds that she means it. “I think Hope wants us to meet at the firepit. Let’s head over, yeah?” Priya nods and they walk over, where Lottie, Hannah and Hope are already seated.

“Hi, girls,” says Hope with a dazzling smile as Maria sits next to her. “How are we feeling now?”

“I stuck up for my friend.” Lottie’s voice rings out across the firepit, stark against the soft crackling of the flames. “I’m not apologizing for that.”

_What happened to calming her down?_

“Well,” Priya straightens up, confident, “I don’t think you should come after me how you do. I didn’t even do anything wrong in the first place; we’re here to graft.”

“Not behind other peoples’ backs, you snake — ”

“Guys,” Hannah interrupts, pleading. “We can work this out.”

“Oh, shut up, Hannah,” Lottie snaps. “Seriously. You’re acting like a huge baby about something that doesn’t even involve you.”

Something in Hannah’s eyes goes cold. Maria exchanges a panicked glance with Hope.

“Well,” Hannah says, and her voice trembles, “sorry for wanting people to get along, I guess.” She laughs, harsh and unfamiliar. “I’m starting to think Priya was right about you, Lottie. You aren’t as good of a friend as you think you are.”

“What the hell is going on?” Maria murmurs, quiet enough that only Hope can hear.

“I think Hannah’s gone insane,” Hope whispers back. “Weird. I thought it would be Lottie.”

“I give up,” says Hannah, and both of them look back at her. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Maria. Goodnight, Hope.” She stares at Priya and Lottie for a moment before fiercely turning on her heel and walking away, clacking against stone.

“Look at what you’ve done,” Priya snaps at Lottie before calling after Hannah and rushing to the bedroom. Lottie’s left alone at the end of the firepit. She looks strangely small.

“I didn’t…” She pauses, seemingly lost for words. Finally, she straightens up, drawing herself to her full height. “Thanks for talking to me, Hope. If you two could leave I’d appreciate it; I need a moment to think.”

 _Then go somewhere else,_ Maria almost says, just out of habit, but Hope lays a hand on her arm before she can. 

“That sounds good,” says Hope lightly. “I think Maria and I probably need a chat anyway.” Maria glances up at the terrace, where Bobby and the other boys are watching. He shrugs at her before heading down to the bedroom.

They walk to the kitchen, where Hope begins making a toastie. “I thought you were calming her down,” says Maria, and Hope throws her a glare.

“You didn’t exactly calm Priya down either,” she says, buttering the bread so fiercely Maria’s a little afraid the knife will go right through it. Maria sighs.

“Yeah, I think — I’m obviously not Lottie’s biggest fan, and that might have clouded my judgement a little.” She chews on the inside of her cheek. “To be fair, she was out of line.”

“Priya grafted on Noah and then pretended she wasn’t as soon as she got called out.” Hope pops the bread into the toaster. “I’m still mad about that. I’m not going to go act like a total bitch about it, like, I get that’s what we’re here to do or whatever, but she could’ve been honest. So I appreciated what Lottie did, even if it probably was for the wrong reasons.”

_For fuck’s sake. Why does no one ever talk to each other?_

“Okay, so,” Maria traces circles on the countertop with her finger, “we could be a little more honest about our feelings. Like, as a villa.”

Hope groans. “It’s hard, though.” The bread pops out and she stares at it for a moment. The cheese is slightly burnt. “Do you think the guys have this kind of drama?”

“I don’t think any of them have enough in them to cause drama at all.” 

Hope laughs, quiet. “Okay, let’s go in. Thanks for being here, Maria. You’re a good friend.”

 _As long as the public thinks so too,_ Maria thinks, but she just smiles at her before motioning to head to the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so hannah's joker arc begins...
> 
> thank you so much to [becca](https://archiveofourown.org/users/becangle) for being an excellent beta <3 much love and thank you all for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> first ever litg fic! i’m very nervous about this, so any comments are much appreciated. thank you for reading!


End file.
